Chain Links - A Detailed Explanation

We’ve had a number of requests for an article of how to arrange your chain links – this second piece in our new article season aims to do just that.

Let’s play the game:

 SEGOC: Chain Links and other Hi-Jinks

Chains and chain links are an essential part of this game, and understanding them fully is a key part of taking yours to the next level. The intricacies in how chains are built and resolved may not be relevant a great deal, but they’re absolutely back breaking if you get them wrong when they are.

We all understand the basics of activating cards in response to our opponent’s cards/effects. A chain like the below (from the basic Rulebook) is easy to understand:

Player A: Raigeki -> Chain Link 1

Player B: Magic Jammer -> Chain Link 2

Player A: Seven Tools of the Bandit -> Chain Link 3

The Issue occurs when two or more effects try to activate simultaneously. Which effect is chain link 1? Do both effects resolve at the same time?

Questions like these are common in Mirror matches, where both players will often attempt to activate the effect of the same card simultaneously – “Mermail Abysslinde” being a prime example.

I can tell you now that no two activated effects will ever resolve at the same time during a Yu-Gi-Oh! Game, that’s just not how game mechanics work.

So how do we decide what goes first?

Fortunately, there are rules to determine the order. We call these rules SEGOC:

Simultaneous Effects Go On Chain

These rules determine the order in which simultaneous effects are put onto the chain. That order looks like this:

1. Turn Player Mandatory Effects

2. Non-Turn Player Mandatory Effects

3. Turn Player Optional Effects

4. Non-Turn Player Optional Effects

If you’re having difficulty, just remember:

Turn player before non-turn player. Mandatory before optional.

The easiest way to get the hang of this is to look at some examples:

A Fishy Problem

Conor controls a face-up ATK position “Mermail Abysslinde” and a set “Debunk”. He’s playing a Mermail mirror match against Scott, so he should be in pretty good shape. I’m not so sure though…

Scott summons his own copy of “Mermail Abysslinde” and attacks Conor’s with it. Both monsters are destroyed at the same time, so we need to use SEGOC to determine which one will resolve first.

Both players are activating “Mermail Abysslinde” – an optional effect, so Mandatory before optional isn’t much help here. We’ll have to use Turn Player before Non-Turn Player.

Scott is the turn player here, so our rules make his effect chain link 1, while Conor’s Abysslinde is forced into chain link 2.

Conor would like to activate “Debunk” here to negate Scott’s Abysslinde, but his own copy of Abysslinde is at chain link 2, and Debunk can only respond to the highest chain link (like most Counter Trap cards). In effect, Conor’s own Abysslinde has protected Scott from his Debunk!

As you can see, by manipulating chain links, you can protect your effects from your opponent’s cards. So what happens when all the effects are yours?

Big Shark, Small Pond:

Adam controls a face-up “The Grand Spellbook Tower” and a set “Spellbook Magician of Prophecy”.

His opponent Michael discards “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman” to activate the effect of “Mermail Abyssmegalo”. Adam has no response, so Abyssmegalo is special summoned.

Now, in this case, 3 effects have met their triggers: “Mermail Abyssmegalo”, “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman”. So let’s apply the rules and determine the order they go on the chain.

The effects all belong to Michael, so turn player before non-turn player isn’t very helpful, and we’ll have to rely on mandatory before optional.

Abyssmegalo’s effect is optional, with the effects of “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman” being Mandatory. This means that Abyssmegalo MUST be link 3 (as it cannot go before either of the Mandatory effects).

What order do “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Atlantean Marksman” go in though?

Well, since they’re both owned by the same player, that player may choose what order they’re placed on the chain. In this case Michael doesn’t want Adam to get the effect of his “The Grand Spellbook Tower”, so he makes “Atlantean Marksman” chain link 1 and “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” chain link 2 – our final chain looks like this:

Link 1: Atlantean Marksman

Link 2: Alantean Heavy Infantry

Link 3: Mermail Abyssmegalo

But Wait! There’s More…

There’s one more rule used to determine what order effects go on the chain, and it’s incredibly important:

“Effects that meet their triggers first go on the chain first”

That is to say that if a player has two or more effects that activate simultaneously, but one met its trigger before the other, that effect MUST become chain link 1.

Again, it’s easiest to learn by Example:

Hey, that Bee Broke my Sword!

Dean controls “Inzektor Dragonfly” equipped with “Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber”. He activates Dragonfly’s effect and equips it with “Inzektor Hornet” from the Graveyard.

He then activates “Inzektor Hornet”’s effect, destroying Zektkaliber, and wants to activate all of his effects – 2 Dragonfly triggers and ZektKaliber.

What order do these effects go on the chain?

“Inzektor Dragonfly” is optional and “Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber” is mandatory, so the solution is obvious, right?

Wrong. In this case the effects didn’t all meet their triggers at the same time. The first to meet its trigger was Dragonfly (when Hornet was sent to the Graveyard to pay its own cost), then the second Dragonfly trigger and Zektkaliber are simultaneous (since they were both triggered when Hornet resolved and destroyed Zektkaliber).

So since Dragonfly’s first trigger happened before anything else, chain link 1 has to be Dragonfly’s effect - in accordance with our new rule. (Note that this is true even though Zektkaliber is Mandatory, and overrides the usual SEGOC rules).

After that, Zektkaliber is Mandatory and the second Dragonfly effect is optional. These were both triggered simultaneously, so they follow traditional SEGOC rules, and our final chain is:

Chain Link 1: Inzektor Dragonfly

Chain Link 2: Inzektor Sword – Zektkaliber

Chain Link 3: Inzektor Dragonfly

If we revisit our watery friends from earlier, we’ll see another situation in which this is relevant:

Fishiness Foiled!

Adam and Michael are at it again. With the situation the same, Michael devises a plan to remove “The Grand Spellbook Tower” safely once again.

He activates “Mermail Abyssmegalo”, discarding “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” and “Mermail Abyssgunde” to pay its cost.

Now all he has to do is make Heavy Infantry Chain Link 2, and…

Whoops! I’m afraid Michael’s chain isn’t going to work out as he planned this time! Can you see why?

That’s right – “Mermail Abyssgunde” is an OPTIONAL effect, meaning that only “Atlantean Heavy Infantry” is mandatory.

Since Heavy Infantry and Abyssgunde were triggered at the same time, they have to follow SEGOC rules – Heavy Infantry MUST be link 1, with Abyssgunde at link 2. Following that, Megalo (whose effect was triggered afterward) is forced into link 3 again by our new rule.

With Heavy Infantry as link 1, “The Grand Spellbook Tower” will be able to special summon a monster from Adam’s deck. If Michael’s Abyssgunde can’t find a good target then he might be in trouble!

So SEGOC and chain rules have played a pretty heavy role in the game in the past.

But these mechanics are equally as important now as they’ve ever been, though you won’t see many copies of Abysslinde in a Shaddoll deck…

Let’s have one more example to show how NECH’s “El Shaddoll Fusion” will make knowing this especially important:

Dante’s Fuse-ferno:

It’s Alex’s turn, and while his newly drawn “Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss” isn’t that helpful, his face-up “Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss” and set “Raigeki Break” and “Different Dimension Ground” should help him hold the field.

On the other side of the Table, Richard has “White Dragon Wyverburster” and “El Shaddoll Winda” which has been cutting off Alex’s Tour Guides (he’s currently holding 2). It’s backed up by 3 sets: “Shaddoll Falco”, “El Shaddoll Fusion” and “Super Polymerization”.

Alex decides he wants Winda gone. He activates Dante’s effect, detaching his last material - “Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss” - to pay it’s cost.

When Richard has no response, he chains “Different Dimension Ground”.

Richard knows that’s bad, so in response he activates “El Shaddoll Fusion”.

Alex doesn’t really want to see “El Shaddoll Construct”, so he chains “Raigeki Break”, discarding Cir, and targets Wyverburster.

Richard would quite like a Construct though, so he chains “Super Polymerization”, discarding “Shaddoll Fusion”.

When the Chain resolves, “Super Polymerisation” fuses Winda and Dante into “El Shaddoll Construct while “Raigeki Break” destroys Wyverburster.

“El Shaddoll Fusion” then fuses Falco and Construct into another Winda.

Then “Different Dimension Ground” Resolves, and Dante resolves without effect.

Following this, EIGHT new effects will activate. Can you identify them and determine how the chain is built?

So, what do we know about chains? Well, effects that trigger first always go on the chain first – so what was the first effect to trigger?

That’s right, “Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss” (which was detached from Dante), followed by Cir (which was discarded for Raigeki Break’s cost). Those 2 effects met their triggers as the chain was built, so they have to be links 1 and 2.

After that comes resolution. Dante and Winda were sent to the Graveyard simultaneously by Super Polmerization and are both Optional, so Dante (who is the Turn Player’s effect) is link 3, with Winda as Link 4 (SEGOC, remember?)

Next, Construct was summoned. With nothing else happening at the same time, its “on summon” effect claims link 5.

Following that, the resolution of ”Raigeki Break” triggers Wyverburster - which occupies chain link 6.

Lastly, Falco and Construct are fused into Winda. Since both of their “Sent to the Graveyard” effects are optional and owned by a single player (Richard), that player gets to choose what order they go on the chain in.

As general best practice (to avoid summon negation), Richard puts Falco at link 7 and Construct at link 8:

Chain Link 1: Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss

Chain Link 2: Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss

Chain Link 3: Dante, Traveller of the Burning Abyss

Chain Link 4: El Shaddoll Winda

Chain Link 5: El Shaddoll Construct

Chain Link 6: White Dragon Wyverburster

Chain Link 7: Shaddoll Falco

Chain Link 8: El Shaddoll Construct

Wow, that’s a hell of a chain. Can you follow the resolution through?

I think it’s pretty clear who’s going to come out on top, since Richard will control Winda and Falco with 2 Shaddoll Spells/Traps and Collapserpent in hand (and maybe more with Construct’s effect) after it resolves, while Alex will be left with a single Burning Abyss monster (since the other summon will be prevented by Winda!)

Ouch, let’s hope Alex’s Tour Guides do some work over the next few turns!

I hope I’ve succeeded in clearing at least some of the mist surrounding chain links here (and not scared you off with the last example) as they really are important to improving as a player.

If you have any questions about this article you can reach me at yugiohbelfast@hotmail.com or via Facebook

Until next time, I’ll leave you with this question:

If I attack an Attack Position “Mathematician” with “Brotherhood of the Fire Fist– Bear” and my opponent wants to summon “Tragoedia”, what order do the chain links go in?

Happy Puzzling!

Luke

Blog Revamp: Welcome back Card Players!

Hello everyone! 

 

I’d like to welcome you back (or introduce you) to the Competitive Card Playing blog. It’s undergone a bit of a transformation and is now the hub of the “Belfast Yugioh” group! 

 

We’ll be producing and posting (hopefully) weekly articles on various topics that we hope will help you improve your game at a competitive level. 

 

This week you have me (Adam) producing the first new article for the group -

I hope you enjoy it! 

 

So without further ado, let's dive in:

 

Going on Tilt: Causes, Avoidance and Recovery

 

If you're not familiar with the term 'tilt', let me give you an explanation of what it means; 

 

 

 

 

"Allowing the circumstances to affect your judgment, causing you to play sub-optimally."

 

Tilting plays a part in all kinds of gaming, be it video games, cards, or even professional sports. When your judgement is affected you enter a downward spiral - which in turn leads to more anger and frustration. It’s hard to think perfectly when the pressure is on - believe me, I've been there. Having been a reasonably good player from a pretty young age, people used to watch me play a lot.

 

And I HATED it.

 

I use to despise when people watched me play my games. I couldn't stand the pressure of people watching me play and criticising me. It used to throw me off my game and cause errors that I’d never have made when playing by myself.

That is, until I realised that criticism is a fundamental part of growth as a player, and as a person. Thinking back on it now, it was kind of ridiculous and if anyone can tell you about tilting and how to overcome it, I’d like to think it’s me.

You have to cool down, take a deep breath and play your game. 

 

In Yu-Gi-Oh! you’re most likely to go on tilt when you get "sacked". – for example,  when victory is snatched from you by a freshly drawn “Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning”, or when your opponent happened to have that second (or even third!) copy of “Bujingi Crane”.

The most common result of this is misplaying, or taking a line of play that is incorrect for the current board state. We all do it - its human nature, and no one is perfect (regardless of their claims).

 

So what's the problem if everybody does it?

 

The problem is that you get embarrassed and angry at yourself – which causes you to stop thinking altogether. You need to avoid this at ALL costs, it’s not helpful in any way, and causes you to crash and burn in games you should rightly have won.

 

The key is to slow down, acknowledge your mistake and begin to evaluate the current situation. That’s the current situation, not the one you just left – the situation AFTER the misplay has taken place. Take a look at the available options, the way in which the game has changed, and determine the best play you can now make. Reassessment of the situation is your best (and often ONLY) option, I don't think I can stress this point enough. 

 

I remember in school, in run up to Exam Season, one of my teachers would always say in class; 

 

"Read the question, underline the key words, and plan your answer." 

 

Although it isn't exactly the same, the base meaning is highly relatable:

At any time in a game, when the board state complicates, you must evaluate all of your options. Barrelling in with no forethought often only serves to create the kind of horrible situation that your opponent was planning all along. This is extra important when you’re on tilt.

 

Let’s look at an example:

 

You summon a “Coach Soldier Wolfbark” and use its effect to special summon a “Brotherhood of the Fire Fist – Bear”. You know you want to summon a Rank 4 Xyz monster, and have narrowed your decision down to” Diamond Dire Wolf” or “Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer”. You go through several scenarios in your head and decide that “Diamond Dire Wolf” would be more advantageous to you - allowing you to safely conduct your next play and secure a dominant position.

Sounds easy, right?

 

But as you’re reaching for your Extra deck, you’re distracted by one of the spectators making a remark. You turn you attention back to the game, and confidently place “Castel, The Skyblaster Musketeer” onto the field.

 

Oh Dear.

 

So instead of the originally intended “Diamond Dire Wolf” you realise that you’ve made a mistake. How do you react? Do you begin to panic and continue to mess up? Maybe they’re just better than you… I mean, you might’ve just thrown the game away!

OR do you stop and think? 

Stop, relax and reassess the board state. Ask yourself some questions:

 

How does your Castel advance your position?

Can you remove another problem card your opponent controls?

Can you turn your opponent’s monster face-down to avoid a potential 'Honest'?

 

What can Castel do that Diamond Dire Wolf cannot, and how does it help you win now? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself when you find yourself in these situations. 

 

Remember that your opponent makes misplays too, and capitalising when they do can help to take you off tilt – it makes them feel that maybe you’re just better than they are, and that level discrepancy can really put you at an advantage. Much like in poker, your opponent’s mental state is an incredible resource if you can use it correctly, effectively allowing you to reverse the tilt back onto them!

 

That’s not the only way to tilt though - let’s look at some of the more common ones, and ways to avoid them: 

 

When your opponent draws ideally

 

This can happen once, or a few times in a row. It’s irritating, believe me -VERY irritating. That's a part playing cards though, the element of luck and variance. It sucks when they work against you, but do remember that for ever bad beat there’s a good run. I'm pretty sure I've won entire regionals with just incredible openers and huge topdecks. I’ve also played in events in which I drew nothing and my opponents had all the answers.

There are certain things you just don’t have control over, and you need to be prepared for that. Sometimes there’s nothing you could have done (though this is rarely the case). Sometimes you couldn't have changed the outcome no matter what you did or drew.

 

Personally, I try to calculate my opponent’s possible draws before passing my turn – that way if they get one, I’ve already considered it and prepared myself.

 

"May the odds be ever in your favour" - Yeah, Right

 

Carrying over a loss from the previous round

 

So it happened, your opponent drew Shaddoll Fusion and you lost. You want to go cry in a corner?

This is one of the easiest ways to throw rounds away. You simply cannot let go of the loss or stress, and you carry it over to the next round.

Unfortunately, you’ve got other things you need to be thinking about in the next round – your current game for example. Considering how you lost the last game isn’t going to help you there.

It’s especially dangerous when your opponent ripped something off the top. If you lost your last match to a freshly drawn Shaddoll Fusion, what happens if you encounter the same situation again? Are you going to make a different move because you lost last time?

That’s a dangerous road, and thoughts of previous rounds are better left until the event is over. Put them in a box and open them once you have time to work out what went wrong.

 

“Judge Rules… No Foul!”

 

I am a large advocate of knowing your card interactions, especially if they are cards that you’re playing. These minor interactions are often key in winning obscure situations.

Unfortunately, you just can’t know everything. Sometimes you’re going to be wrong, and sometimes your opponent’s going to call you on it. Having this happen at a critical time can be devastating to your mental state, leaving you questioning just how well you understand your own deck.

It’s important to understand that this happens to judges too. As much as you would like to believe that all judges are perfect bastions of knowledge, not all floor judges are well equipped to answer your questions. That’s why we have the appeal system in place in order to guarantee a fair field. 

If you’re certain that you right, but the head judge rules against you, ask if they can take some time outside of the game to explain to you how the interaction works. They may not have time (Head Judges are busy people) but can often find someone to run you through it, and your friends can probably help if the judges are busy.

 

Trash Talk

 

This is an easy way for an opponent to get under your skin and affect your play during a game, and is incredibly common among testing and/or friendship groups. Sometimes it’s a bad day, or you’ve lost too much, or you ate something bad for breakfast… but whatever the reason, it gets under your skin and affects your mood, which in turn affects your gameplay.

You don't want to let this type of unsportsmanlike conduct to affect your game, it will tend to make you more aggressive, less strategic and more prone to overextension. This allows your opponent chance to capitalise on these mistakes, stealing games that should’ve been yours.

 

The first point to make here is that if it becomes extreme, call a judge. That’s not to say that you do so if your opponent calls you silly names, but being overly aggressive towards your opponent is a violation of Konami’s Tournament Policy, and can result in a penalty.

For this reason it’s important not to become aggressive back in this situation, as you may bring said penalty on yourself.

 

For minor things though, try to drown out the external noises when you are playing at tournament level, whether this be 'getting into the zone', listening to music (if your TO/opponent don’t mind), or training yourself to focus on what’s important..

One of my friends that’s incredibly well-versed in this Luke Smythe. It’s difficult to throw his concentration mid-game, and that’s one of the things I admire and respect about his card playing abilities. 

 

You’ll notice that most of these involve how you’re feeling and your general mental state. Find a method of keeping your composure even when things go wrong - not everything goes as planned.

 Remember, you‘re not aiming to win every game, you’re aiming to play every game perfectly. Accomplish that and the wins will follow.

 

So how can you stop yourself tilting?

 

Understanding that feedback and criticism are helpful and useful tools helps you overcome your tilt. 

In order to test effectively and prepare optimally for an event, you need to be playing your best. Receiving feedback and criticism from your testing group is incredibly helpful, being one of the best ways to improve your game, feel less pressured when being watched, and generally be more comfortable playing.

Please note though, that “Hurr durr, you’re terrible” is not very helpful. Constructive criticism is preferred.

 

For the same reasons, having people praise your game play is a great way to prevent tilting as it improves your confidence. Remember that as far as tilting is concerned, knowing you’re playing correctly is just as important as actually playing correctly.

 

Remember, tilting can happen to anyone - from new players to the most hardened veterans, and learning to overcome tilt is imperative if you want to advance your game.

 

I hope you enjoyed the read and can take something away from it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at yugiohbelfast@hotmail.com or contact me via Facebook. 

 

Remember, assessing the situation is the key to success.